Direct service launch on a second display

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and methods to implement a technique for using a second display with a network-enabled television. In one implementation, this feature allows the native application on the second display to directly launch the second display application with a requested search term so that the user is immediately brought to a search page with relevant search results. The search term may be derived from the native application which in turn derives from the context of the IP TV. Such a context could be metadata from a currently playing BD from a BD player or TV channel. The second display application may be a web application or a native remote controller application. The second display could be a smart phone that can often be found beside the user, or a laptop or tablet PC, a desktop PC, or the like.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 13/207,560, filedAug. 11, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,862,612, issued Oct. 14, 2014, whichclaims benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser.No. 61/441,899, filed Feb. 11, 2011, entitled “DIRECT SEARCH FROM IPTVREMOTE NATIVE APPLICATION TO WEB APPLICATION ON SECOND DISPLAY”, ownedby the assignee of the present application and herein incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Internet delivery of digital content to IPTVs continues to increase, asdoes the popularity of IPTVs themselves. In these systems, contentdelivery is often performed after searches initiated by users of contentservice providers. However, performing such searches is cumbersome.While some current systems have been made more convenient by theprovision of powerful remote controls on which searches may be entered,the user is still required to perform the manual action of opening aremote control application, navigating to a search field, and entering asearch term.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods are provided that allow a user to directly launch asecond display application with a requested search term from within thecontext of a native application on a second display, including a browserapplication. In this way, the user is immediately brought to the searchpage with relevant search results. This process is occasionally termed a“direct search” herein. The search term may be derived from the nativeapplication which in turn may derive from the context of the IPTV. Sucha context could be metadata from a currently playing content item, e.g.,on a Blu-ray® disc in a Blu-ray® player, or from a TV channel. Thesecond display application may be a web application or a native remotecontroller or other application. In this way, the user is saved thetrouble of having to open the second display application and perform thesearch manually, reducing the difficulties of the systems disclosedabove.

Variations of the systems and methods will also be seen. For example,instead of a web application or a native remote controller application,the user may also employ received parameters to perform a direct searchas well. Such implementations may be useful when a user is passedkeywords or content metadata via e-mail, instant messaging, textmessaging, and the like. In this implementation of the invention, therecipient need not navigate to a search facility or second displayapplication in order to perform a search on the same.

In one exemplary implementation, the following steps may be performed.When the native IPTV remote control application launches the seconddisplay application, which may be a web application, the search term isadded to a launch script (using an API which may be hosted by a serversuch as a management server) together with the requested action, e.g.,to search for similar items. The server then configures the seconddisplay application to go directly to the search results upon launch.The server may then redirect the launch URL/URI to the second displayapplication. The second display application loads on the second display,e.g., in a browser therein. The second display application automaticallyuses a search service to search for the term which had been set by theserver. The second display application then shows the search results onthe second display.

Where the second display application is not a web application, analogoussteps may be performed, but the same are then performed in the contextof the native application.

In this way, the user can directly launch a search within the context ofthe second display application, without having to load the seconddisplay application in a separate initial step.

The second displays serve as a visual aid to the IPTV, but generally donot require additional investment by the user because the same make useof a device, e.g., a smartphone, laptop computer, tablet computer, aninternet appliance, etc., which most users would already have in theirpossession. Such a second display provides a complementary functionalityto a content playback device such as an IPTV because of the seconddisplay's strength in supported languages and character font sets, dataentry, processing power, and user experience in content management.

Where the second display application is a web application, the same maybe scripting or non-scripting. The second display application may alsobe a Java application or any other sort of application that maycommunicate with a server. For example, the ASP/.NET framework with RPCcan be employed to write the second display application. Where the webapplication running on the second display is written in HTML or HTMLwith Javascript, the same may be loaded by any device with a browser,and so the same is not limited to only a small set of compatible devicesor expensive remote controls. Where a smartphone is employed, a mobileversion of the second display user interface may be employed, with anappropriate listing of fields and an appropriate mobile resolution.

Communications with service providers may take place through a proxyserver, and the proxy server presents to service providers theauthentication credentials of the content playback device, so that thesecond displays appear to the service providers as authenticated contentplayback devices.

As noted above, the second displays may include any device that can runan application that communicates with a content playback device,including, but not limited to, personal computers, laptop computers,notebook computers, netbook computers, handheld computers, personaldigital assistants, mobile phones, smart phones, tablet computers,hand-held gaming devices, gaming consoles, Internet appliances, and alsoon devices specifically designed for these purposes, in which case thespecial device would include at least a processor and sufficientresources and networking capability to run the second displayapplication.

The content playback device can take many forms, and multiple contentplayback devices can be coupled to and selected within a given localnetwork. Exemplary content playback devices may include IPTVs, DTVs,digital audio systems, or more traditional video and audio systems thathave been appropriately configured for connectivity. In video systems,the content playback device includes a processor controlling a videodisplay to render content thereon.

In a general method of operation, a user employing a second display hasa user account with a source or clearinghouse of services. Here, thesource or clearinghouse is represented as a user account on a managementserver, but it should be understood that the user account may be with aservice provider directly. The user account may have information storedthereon related to what content playback devices are associated with theuser account. When a user logs on, they may see this list of contentplayback devices and may choose a particular content playback device. Ifthere is only one content playback device on the network, or if the useris browsing in a way that the content playback device identity is notneeded, then this step may be omitted. Moreover, a user may controlcontent playback devices that are not included in a user account. Forexample, content playback devices may be discoverable and controllable,e.g., via infrared or Bluetooth® or the network or otherwise, that arenot part of the user account with a management server or with a serviceprovider. It may even be possible for a user to playback content on sucha content playback device, if a service provider has made availablecontent that can be delivered without access made to a user account.

Once a content playback device has been chosen, a list of services maybe displayed. The list of services may be customized to those that havecontent playable on the chosen content playback device, or all availablecontent may be displayed, in which case, e.g., a notation may bedisplayed adjacent the content item as to whether it is playable on theselected device. Such customization may also apply to the search resultsobtained as a result of the direct search routine, as described ingreater detail below.

Where no content playback device has been selected, all availablecontent may be displayed. If no content playback device has beenselected, but the user account includes stored information about whichcontent playback devices are available, then all content may bedisplayed, or a subset of all content may be displayed based on theknown content playback devices associated with the account, or notationsmay be presented about which content playback devices can play whichcontent, or a combination of these. In some cases, a content serviceprovider may require a content playback device to be chosen so as todetermine if content from that service provider may be played back. Inother cases, no content playback device need be chosen and the user maysimply choose and queue content for later playback by a content playbackdevice to-be-determined at a later time.

Assuming multiple services are available, the user then selects aservice to browse. In many cases, access to a service requires becomingaffiliated with the service. Details of such affiliation processes areprovided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/982,463, filed Dec. 30,2010, entitled “Device Registration Process from Second Display”, ownedby the assignee of the present application and incorporated by referenceherein.

Once the content playback device is affiliated with the services, theuser may choose which service they wish to browse. Where a contentplayback device has not been chosen, the user may still choose servicesand browse, but the content offerings may be less specific to a givencontent playback device. The service presents a list of availablecontent items. The presentation may be in any number of forms, includingby category, by keyword, or in any other form of organization. The proxyserver presents an authentication credential of the content playbackdevice to the content server. In some cases, credentials for accessingthe various services may be stored in the user account, and presented bythe proxy server or management server to the content server when needed.

Individual services may employ their own DRM schemes which the currentsystems and methods may then incorporate. For example, if a videocontent service provider only allows a predetermined number of deviceson which their content may be played back, then this rule may beenforced or duplicated within the context of the current system andmethod. Moreover, changes to such service provider rules or otherparameters may be periodically polled for by the proxy server and/ormanagement server, or the same may be polled for at a subsequent loginof the service, e.g., at the time the affiliation is renewed. In otherwords, upon login, the system and method may poll for and receive atoken associated with the given service provider, the token providinginformation to the system about the service provider as well as aboutthe user account with the service provider.

The system and method may include a management server as mentioned abovewhich, along with the content playback device, communicates with atleast one content server such that the content server provides contentitems for presentation at the content playback device. The system andmethod may further include a proxy server communicating with themanagement server and the second displays. In some cases, the proxyserver may be merged with the management server, or in other cases aseparate proxy server may be provided for each content server or serviceprovider.

In one aspect, the invention is directed to a method of causing a seconddisplay application to launch and search on a search item, including:receiving a search item; upon reception of the search item,instantiating a second display application and causing the seconddisplay application to search on the search item; and displaying theresults of the search.

Implementations of the invention may include one or more of thefollowing. The receiving a search item may include receiving a searchterm in a search field. The search field may be disposed in a browser onthe second display. The search item may include metadata from a contentitem, a keyword, a search term, a category, an image file, or an audiofile. The causing the second display application to search on the searchitem may include sending an identifier corresponding to the search itemto a server along with an identifier associated with an actioncorresponding to the search item. The action corresponding to the searchitem may be to find assets or services related to the search item. Theassets or services may be related to the search item by metadata. Thesearch item may include metadata from a content item, and the receivinga search item may include receiving metadata from a Blu-ray® disk orfrom a streamed video program. The method may further include displayinga prompt for a user to create a shortcut associated with the search tobe directly launched, and upon user input, creating the shortcut. Thesecond display application may be a native remote controllerapplication. The second display may be a tablet computer, a smart phone,a laptop computer, a desktop computer, an internet appliance, or acomputing device with internet access. The displaying the results of thesearch may include only displaying services for which the second displayor an associated content playback device are affiliated, or may includedisplaying services for which the second display or an associatedcontent playback device are unaffiliated, and further comprisingdisplaying a screen or a link whereby the content playback device or thesecond display may become affiliated with the service.

In another aspect, the invention is directed to a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium, comprising instructions for causing acomputing device to implement the above method.

In another aspect, the invention is directed to a method of causing asecond display application to launch and search on a search item,including: receiving a search item; upon reception of the search item,adding the search item to a launch script; sending a signal to configurea second display application to instantiate a search results page uponlaunch; redirecting a launch URL/URI to the second display application;and returning search results to the second display for display.

Implementations of the invention may include one or more of thefollowing. The receiving a search item may include receiving a searchterm entered in a browser. The method may further include performing asearch on services or assets similar to the search item, where thesimilarity may be in metadata. If a found service is unaffiliated with auser account or content playback device associated with the seconddisplay, the method may further include causing the display of a link orpage where a user account or content playback device associated with thesecond display may become affiliated with the service.

In another aspect, the invention is directed to a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium, comprising instructions for causing acomputing device to implement the above method.

Advantages of certain embodiments of the invention may include one ormore of the following. A direct search as described here allows theseamless searching of a large array of service provider offerings fromwithin the confines of an already used native application, negating theneed to search separately or to separately open a second displayapplication.

Other advantages will be apparent from the description that follows,including the figures and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Like reference numerals denote like elements throughout.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system in accordance with oneaspect of the present principles.

FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating a method according to anotheraspect of the present principles.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method according to afurther aspect of the present principles.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method according to yetanother aspect of the present principles.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method according to afurther aspect of the present principles.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method according to afurther aspect of the present principles.

FIGS. 7(A)-(C) schematically illustrate how a user interface on a seconddisplay, particularly one associated with a native application, can leadto the launching of a second display application with search resultsautomatically entered and searched on.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an exemplary modular second display systemin accordance with a further aspect of the present principles.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an exemplary modular server system inaccordance with a further aspect of the present principles.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method according to afurther aspect of the present principles.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an exemplary second display in accordancewith a further aspect of the present principles.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an exemplary server in accordance with afurther aspect of the present principles.

FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary computing environment, e.g., that ofthe second display, proxy server, management server, or content server.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring initially to FIG. 1, a direct search system 10 is shownincluding a content playback device 12 coupled to a local network 16,which may be wired, wireless, or a combination of both. Also coupled tothe local network 16 are one or more second displays 14 a-14 c, anexemplary one of which is (in below figures) termed second display 14 i.A number of servers may be accessed by the content playback device 12and the second display 14 i through the local network 16 and theinternet 25, including a management server 18, a proxy server 22, andone or more content servers 24 corresponding to service providers (onlyone is shown in FIG. 1).

The second display 14 a includes a user interface 23 for a seconddisplay application which when launched may in turn automaticallyperform a search on a desired search item, the nature of which isdescribed in greater detail below, and the results of which areillustrated as search results 29. For example, if a user is playing aBlu-ray® disc, watching IPTV channels, or browsing the Internet, variousopportunities will be seen on which to search. For example, a user maydesire to search content related to that being watched on the Blu-ray®disc, e.g., similar movies, sequels, or the like. If a user oftenperforms the same search, they may set that search as a default, and inthat case the search and second display initialization may beaccomplished by clicking an icon or the like.

A search is generally made of assets and services available oraccessible by a server, e.g., the management server and the accessiblecontent servers. The results of the search may be displayed on thesecond display user interface 23 or on the content playback device 12.Where the search finds an asset, the same may be generally listed on thesecond display and subsequently played back on the content playbackdevice 12, although in some cases, the asset may also be played back onthe second display 14 a.

An authentication credential of the content playback device may also belogged with the user account, this credential often required for accessto services and content items. In some cases, a found asset or servicemay be automatically launched, and in this case, the same may access theauthentication credential, or receive the same from the content playbackdevice, if required to perform the launch.

Using the system 10 of FIG. 1, a user of the second display 14 a isprovided with a convenient way to perform a search so as to directlyinitialize the second display application with the search resultsloaded. In this way, the user is saved the inconvenience of having toinitialize the second display application, enter a search term, andperform the search. The convenient and flexible user interface 23 of thesecond display 14 a may then be leveraged to choose content from thefound results for playback on the content playback device 12.

Details of individual components are now described.

The content playback device 12 may be, e.g., an IPTV, a digital TV, adigital sound system, a digital entertainment system, a digital videorecorder, a video disc player, a combination of these, or any number ofother electronic devices addressable by a user on the local network 16.For the sake of simplicity, in this specification, the content playbackdevice 12 will generally be exemplified by an IPTV, in which case itwill typically include a processor that controls a visual display and anaudio renderer such as a sound processor and one or more speakers. Theprocessor may access one or more computer-readable storage media such asbut not limited to RAM-based storage, e.g., a chip implementing dynamicrandom access memory (DRAM), flash memory, or disk-based storage.Software code implementing present logic executable by the contentplayback device 12 may also be stored on one of the memories disclosedbelow to undertake present principles. The processor can receive userinput signals from various input devices including a remote controldevice, a point-and-click device such as a mouse, a keypad, etc. A TVtuner may be provided in some implementations, particularly when thecontent playback device 12 is embodied by an IPTV, to receive TV signalsfrom a source such as a set-top box, satellite receiver, cable head end,terrestrial TV signal antenna, etc. Signals from the tuner are then sentto the processor for presentation on the display and sound system. Anetwork interface such as a wired or wireless modem communicates withthe processor to provide connectivity to the Internet through the localnetwork 16. It will be understood that communications between thecontent playback device 12 and the internet 25, or between the seconddisplay 14 i and the internet, may also take place through means besidesthe local network 16. For example, the second display 14 i maycommunicate with the content playback device 12 through a separatemobile network.

The one or more second displays 14 a-14 c each bear a processor andcomponents necessary to operate an application for, e.g., serviceprovider and content selection, as well as for client aspects of adirect search system. In particular, the processor in the second displaymay access one or more computer-readable storage media such as but notlimited to RAM-based storage, e.g., a chip implementing dynamic randomaccess memory (DRAM), flash memory, or disk-based storage. Software codeimplementing present logic executable by the second display may also bestored on one of the memories disclosed below to undertake presentprinciples. Further, the second display 14 i can receive user inputsignals from various input devices including a point-and-click devicesuch as a mouse, a keypad, a touchscreen, a remote control, etc. Anetwork interface such as a wired or wireless modem communicates withthe processor to provide connectivity to the local network and to widearea networks such as the Internet as noted above.

The servers 18, 22, and 24 have respective processors accessingrespective non-transitory computer-readable storage media which may be,without limitation, disk-based and/or solid state storage. The serverscommunicate with a wide area network such as the Internet via respectivenetwork interfaces. The proxy server 22 may in some cases be combinedwith the management server 18, although in many cases it may bepreferable to separate the servers to better accommodate server load.The servers may mutually communicate via the internet 25. In someimplementations, the servers may be located on the same local network,in which case they may communicate with each other through the localnetwork without accessing the internet. For example, in one exemplaryimplementation, the management server 18 and the proxy server 22 may bedisposed in the same data center, so communication between the two maystay within the data center.

While an exemplary method of the system is described below, certainmethod steps especially pertinent to certain arrangements of the seconddisplay will be described here.

Responsive to the second display 14 i sending a request to the proxyserver 22 for an executable utility, the proxy server 22 returns theutility to each second display 14 i. Running the utility causes theinstantiation of an application. The implementation discussed hereincludes a web application, but it will be understood that other typesof applications may also be employed as described above.

The second display 14 i, executing the web application, prompts a userto input to each second display 14 i login information. The logininformation may be common or may differ between second displays. Theproxy server 22, responsive to reception of correct login informationfrom the content playback device 12, returns the local IP address of thecontent playback device 12 to the second display 14 i, because the samehas previously been registered to a user account in which suchinformation is maintained. The proxy server 22 may also return a list ofcontent playback devices on the local network, responsive to which thesecond display 14 i may select one for content playback. In turn, eachsecond display 14 i uses the local content playback device address toaccess the content playback device 12 directly to request informationabout the content playback device 12, which information is returned fromthe content playback device 12 to the second display 14 i such that thelocal address of the content playback device 12 need not be globallyaddressable. Each second display 14 i may also select content forplayback on different content playback devices. The second display 14 isends the information about the content playback device 12 to the proxyserver 22, requesting a list of services available to the contentplayback device 12 from one or more service providers. The services maybe dependent on the device characteristics of the content playbackdevice 12 chosen. For example, if the chosen content playback device 12is an IPTV, video services may be returned. If the chosen contentplayback device 12 is an audio system, audio services may be returned.

The proxy server 22 relays the request for a list of services to themanagement server 18, which returns the list to the proxy server 22,with the proxy server 22 in turn sending the list to the second display14 i for presentation of information on the second display 14 i.Responsive to a user selection of an item on the list, the seconddisplay 14 i sends a request for a software asset corresponding to theselected content item to the proxy server 22. The proxy server 22requests a service login of the content server 24 providing the content,and the content server 24 provides to the proxy server 22 a list ofcontent items, assets, categories, or services, and the proxy server 22relays the list to the second display 14 i, which is presented on thesecond display 14 i so that the user can navigate to enter a selection.Responsive to the selection, the second display 14 i sends a command tothe content playback device 12 to access and play back the selection.

The command to play the local content item may be in a number of forms.The second display 14 i may communicate to the proxy server 22 therequest on behalf of the content playback device 12, and this requestmay be via the local network or via other means. Alternatively, thesecond display 14 i may transmit a request to the content playbackdevice 12 that it itself formulates the request, and this transmissionmay be by way of the local network, the internet generally, or via othermeans such as other wired or wireless transmission schemes, includingvia USB, IR, Bluetooth®, or any other schemes. If the second display 14i is configured to address the content playback device 12 at a non-locallevel, e.g., at the server level, then the second display 14 i may bephysically located virtually anywhere and still be able to queue contentor to command the content playback device 12 to play content. In thiscase, however, server load would increase over the case where the seconddisplay and content playback device communicated directly or over alocal network.

Certain method steps of an arrangement of the content playback deviceare described here. Using a network interface, the content playbackdevice 12 can communicate with a management server 18 on the Internetand with one or more content servers 24, also on the internet andcommunicating with the management server 18. The management server 18receives and stores a local IP address of the content playback device12. The content playback device 12 communicates with the managementserver 18 to arrange for content items from the content server 24,operated by a service provider, to be played back on the contentplayback device 12. In more detail, the content playback device 12 sendslogin information to the management server 18 which returns to thecontent playback device 12 a user token that must subsequently bepresented by the content playback device 12 to the content server 24 toobtain content from the content server 24.

FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation ofa method for enabling a user to employ a second display to browsecontent playback devices, service providers, content items and selectthe same for playback by a content playback device. FIG. 2 assumes thatthe user has already created an account with a management server and hasaffiliated one or more content playback devices with that account.

At state 52, a user turns on the content playback device 12. At state 54the content playback device sends login information including, e.g.,username and password, to the management server 18, which at state 56returns to the content playback device a user token that maysubsequently be presented by the content playback device to a contentserver 24 to obtain content from that server. The management server 18in addition stores the local IP address of the content playback device12.

At state 58, the user turns on the second display 14 i and instantiatesa web browser session in which control may be exercised over the contentplayback device. Other types of sessions may also be employed as hasbeen noted. A utility is executed on the second display 14 i, at state60, which sends a request to the proxy server 22, which returns in state62 a web application, e.g., HTML with JavaScript, for the second displayto execute for browsing services and content items. This application maymake, e.g., asynchronous JavaScript and XML calls to the proxy server 22and to the content playback device 12 to obtain information to controlthe content playback device 12.

At state 64, using the JavaScript received from the proxy server 22, thesecond display 14 i prompts the user to input to the second display 14 ithe account login information, including, e.g., the same username andpassword that the content playback device provided to the managementserver 18 in state 54 during device registration. Of course, the accountlogin information may differ as well. It will be appreciated that theservers 18, 22, and 24 communicate necessary account information betweenthem as needed to realize the principles described here.

The proxy server 22 responds to a correct user name and password fromthe second display 14 i in an authentication request state 63. The proxyserver 22 verifies the user name and password with the management server18 (states 67 and 69), creates and transmits a session token to thesecond display, obtains information about content playback devicesaffiliated with the user account, and completes the authentication instate 65. The proxy server 22 may return to each second display theinformation about all content playback devices 12 that are affiliatedwith the user account associated with the user name and password,including their local IP addresses which were stored by the managementserver 18 after login at 54 (and subsequently provided to the proxyserver 22). In more detail, the proxy server 22 sends a token to thesecond display 14 i, the token associated with a content playbackdevice, and this token gets communicated in future transactions betweenthe second display and the proxy server, so that the proxy server 22knows what content playback device the content item is intended for.Each user with each second display may then choose a content playbackdevice and browse the services and content options available through theservices in state 96 and subsequent steps.

The second display 14 i, using the local IP address returned as notedabove, accesses the content playback device directly, in the sense ofcommunicating through the local network. To select a particular contentplayback device, the second display 14 i requests information about thecontent playback device 12 at state 70, including language information,digital rights management (DRM) information, etc., as desired, whichinformation is returned from the content playback device to the seconddisplay 14 i at state 72. Since the second display 14 i knows the IPaddress of the content playback device 12 and consequently communicatesdirectly with the content playback device 12, the second display 14 icommunicates using a local web address of the content playback device 12that need not be globally addressable, and may so communicate as long asthe second display 14 i and content playback device 12 are on the samelocal network.

Each second display 14 i may send the client information received atstate 72 to the proxy server 22, requesting a list of services availableto the content playback device 12, or that the content playback device12 is entitled to, from one or more of the content servers 24. The proxyserver 22 relays the request to the management server 18, which returnsthe requested service list to the proxy server 22. The proxy server 22in turn sends the services list to the second display for presentationof available services on the second display. Each user browses theservices and their content on the second display just as though it werethe actual content playback device.

A user can input, using, e.g., a second display input device, aselection of a service on the list that was returned to the seconddisplay. In response, the second display, at state 74, sends a requestfor the corresponding service to the proxy server 22 along with theservice token that that second display may have received from thecontent server 24 via the management server 18.

Responsive to the request, the proxy server 22 requests a service loginat state 86 of the content server 24 providing the selected service. Atstate 88, the content server 24 provides to the proxy server 22 a listof content items, assets, categories or services, as the case may be,for the particular content server 24. If desired, the proxy server 22may also request of the content server 24 a list of options, and thelist may be returned, e.g., in extended markup language (XML) format, tothe proxy server 22 which relays the content items, assets, categories,services, etc., available for selection to the second display at thestate 80.

The content available for selection is presented on the second displayso that the user can navigate (in state 97) the display to enter aselection. Responsive to the selection, the second display at state 98sends a command to the content playback device 12 to play the selection,and in particular sends a playlist id or reference identifier indicatingthe selection. At state 100, the content playback device 12, using itsauthentication credentials, sends the playlist id or referenceidentifier to the proxy server 22, which returns the required playlistdata in state 102. The content playback device 12 can then request thecontent URL with the playlist data in state 104, which may be respondedto with a return of the content URL for playback of the content item onthe content playback device 12 in state 106.

Variations of the system and method are now described.

If the content playback device were already playing content, the newcontent commanded to be played by the second display may be placed in aqueue in the content playback device and played when the current contentcompletes. In any case, once the content has been commanded to beplayed, the user may continue to browse the second display for othercontent, to play or to add to the queue. Other users may employ theirown second displays to do the same. A user may also desire to switchdevices and resume playback on a different device by, e.g., navigatingto a “recently viewed” list and selecting the last video played afterswitching control to the desired device.

The above description has been for the case where the proxy server 22 isemployed to hide the content source, e.g., a content URL, from thesecond display 14 i. That is, the proxy server 22 provides an API forthe second display to use so that the content and/or content URL cannotbe accessed directly. In this way, the details of the management servertransactions to access the services remain desiredly unknown. In manycases, the second display 14 i may have stored thereon little or nodetails about the content playback device 12. In some cases, however,the URL may be directly provided from the proxy server 22 or the proxyserver 22 may even be bypassed, e.g., in cases where the content item isintended for free distribution, e.g., movie trailers or the like.Similarly, while the above description has focused on content itemplayback on content playback device 12, certain content items, e.g.,those which are intended for free distribution, may be played back onthe second display 14 i itself, if the same has been appropriatelyconfigured.

In the case where multiple second displays request content to be playedat or near the same time, a simple rule such as the first-in-time mayprevail. Alternatively, a priority scheme may be configured, such thatcertain second displays take precedence over other second displays.Alternatively, a plurality of user profiles may be employed, andprecedence may be based on the identity of specific users.

The control device may command the content playback device to playcontent by sending, to the content playback device over the localnetwork, commands coded as if they were sent from an infrared remotecontrol, e.g., the commands may be in the Sony Infrared Remote ControlSystem (SIRCS) protocol.

FIG. 3 illustrates a general method 30 by which a direct search andsecond display launch may be performed. The method 30 is meant to beillustrative, and illustrate steps performed by both a server and asecond display.

A first step is that a user indicates a search subject or search item(step 108). The search subject or search item may be indicated in anumber of ways, and the same may constitute a number of different typesof data objects.

For example, a search term may be identified in any native application(step 112). For example, a native application on the second display maytake the form of a remote controller application. The remote controllerapplication may then control any or all aspects of playback of contentplayback devices on the system, e.g., digital video recorders, Blu-ray®disc players, or other such devices. In the remote controllerapplication, a term may be identified and then used as a search item. Inmany cases, the native application will have a search field built in. Inother cases, the native application will provide a number of fields thatdescribe a content item that is being played back. For example, thenative application may indicate that a song from a given album is beingplayed back. By an act of the user, an aspect of the played-back songmay be used in a search. For example, the user may highlight the albumname, click on the same, and retrieve search results relating to thatalbum name. In the same way, a search field may be provided in which auser may enter a search term. Other search facilities within a nativeapplication will also be understood.

Another way for a user to indicate a search item or subject is to havethe term identified in a browser. That is, the second display may have abrowser invoked, and the same may be pointed to a given webpage. A termmay be identified in the webpage and then used in the direct searchsystem (step 114). For example, the browser may include a search entryfield, or clicking on a term in the browser window may lead to a searchbeing performed on the clicked-on term. In another implementation, awebsite may have a content item featured or otherwise listed: bydragging an icon or the like associated with the content item on to ascreen region associated with a server, e.g., the management server, thesame may be directed to search on metadata associated with the contentitem to find like items throughout the management server ecosystem.

Another way for a user to indicate a search item or subject is to usemetadata found from identified or played content items (step 116). Forexample, a user may be playing back a television show or playing a moviefrom a BD. In either case, metadata will generally be available from thestreamed or played back content. It will be seen that this step mayoverlap in some cases with step 112, at least where the search term instep 112 constitutes metadata. Such metadata may include, e.g., genre orrating information. By clicking on an icon or column headingcorresponding to the same, services or assets may be found that aresimilar to the subject item. In a specific implementation, the remotecontroller software operating the given content playback device runningon the second display may include a “SHOW ME MORE” button that whenclicked finds similar content items, or services offering similarcontent items, as may be available from the server.

Another way for a user to indicate a search item or search subject is touse a non-metadata aspect of a content item (step 118). For example, auser may search for items similar to a given image, once the image hasbeen subjected to some level of image analysis. In the same way, a usermay search on a particular category of services or assets. It will beunderstood, of course, that in some implementations category data isstored as metadata.

Once a user has indicated the search subject or search item, a search isperformed on available services and/or assets by the server (step 122).The server may search a listing of associated content providers, as wellas content offerings from those content providers. The second displayapplication then is instantiated and the search is run and resultsdisplayed (step 124).

A number of steps may be taken once the results are found, to providedifferent sets of results. In one step, the found results may befiltered based on known content playback devices (step 132). Forexample, a user may have a limited number of types of content playbackdevices, and the existing content playback devices may not be able toplay back all the assets found. In this case, the found results may befiltered so that only those are shown that are capable of being playedby the user.

In another example, if the search results include a number of foundservices, the results may be filtered such that services are onlydisplayed for which a user has an affiliation set up (step 126). In thisway, a user need not sift through a large number of results, many ofwhich may be unavailable to the user due to lack of affiliation.

In a related example, all found services may be displayed to the user,including unaffiliated ones, but the user may be offered an option tocreate an affiliation with the same (step 128). In this way, a user mayhave more results to sift through, but they may be conveniently giventhe option to create an affiliation to playback a found result.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart 40 that describes in greater detail how asearch term is used in combination with a second display applicationinitialization to provide search results upon launch. In a first step, asearch term is identified in any way (step 134). The various ways havebeen noted in FIG. 3 by steps 112, 114, 116, and 118. Other ways willalso be noted. A next step in the flowchart 40 is that the search termis added to a launch script using an API, which is generally hosted by aserver. The particular action requested may also be added to the launchscript where necessary or where not clear from the context, e.g., “SHOWME MORE”, “FIND SIMILAR GENRE”, etc. where no action is supplied, adefault action may be defined, e.g., “SHOW SIMILAR ITEMS”.

The management server then verifies the credentials of the request(using, e.g., referrer_id, user_token, or the like), and sets the searchterm and action, configuring the second display application to godirectly to a set of search results upon launch (step 138). The seconddisplay application, e.g., a web application, then loads (step 142),and, if a search term is set, employs a search service to search on theterms set by the server in steps 136 and 138 (step 144). The nature ofthe search service or facility may include such as is generally known.The search results are then displayed on the second display (step 146).

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart 50 where the method steps arespecifically for a second display. In a first step, the search term isidentified by the methods noted above (step 148). A next step is thatthe search term and associated action, if necessary, are sent to aserver, where they are added to a launch script (step 152). The seconddisplay application then loads on the second display (step 154). Thesecond display application employs the search term in a correspondingsearch (step 156). Finally, the second display application displays thesearch results (step 158).

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart 60 where the method steps arespecifically for a server. Some of the steps are similar to steps in theflow chart 50, however, flowchart 60 represents the server side of thesteps. In a first step, the server receives the search term and theaction (if necessary) from the second display, e.g., from a nativeremote controller application or browser (step 101). A next step is thatthe search term and action are added to the launch script by the serverAPI (step 103). A next step is that a signal is sent from the server tothe second display to configure the second display application to godirectly to the search results upon launch of the second displayapplication (step 105). The server then causes redirection of the launchURL or URI to the second display application (step 107). The search isthen conducted (step 109). The search may be conducted on the givenserver or on a separate server. The results of the search are thenreturned to the second display (step 111).

FIGS. 7(A)-(C) schematically illustrate how a user interface on a seconddisplay, particularly one associated with a native application, can leadto the launching of the second display application with search resultsautomatically entered and searched on. In FIG. 7(A), a second display 14i is illustrated with a first user interface 23 corresponding to anative application. An identified term 15 is illustrated which maycorrespond to any identified term in the first user interface, e.g.,those identified in step 112 of FIG. 3. FIG. 7(A) then illustrates(right side) how a second display application 29 may be initialized witha launched search on services and assets using the identified term 15.In FIG. 7(B), a second display 14 i is illustrated with a second userinterface 23 corresponding to a browser application. An identified term17 is illustrated which may correspond to a term in a search field or aterm in a browser window, e.g., those identified in step 114 of FIG. 3.FIG. 7(B) then illustrates (right side) how a second display application29 may be initialized with a launched search on services and assetsusing the identified term 17. In FIG. 7(C), a second display 14 i isillustrated with a third user interface 23 corresponding to a mediaplayer application, e.g., for operating a BD player. An identified term19 is illustrated which may correspond to any identified term in thefirst user interface, e.g., those identified in step 116 of FIG. 3,e.g., metadata from a content item. FIG. 7(C) then illustrates (rightside) how a second display application 29 may be initialized with alaunched search on services and assets using the identified term 19.

Aspects of various components are described below.

FIG. 8 illustrates one implementation of a second display 70. The seconddisplay 70 includes a display module 115 for use in, e.g., browsingservices and displaying search results. The display module 115 may alsobe employed in browsing lists and selecting items related to the contentplayback device. For example, a list of content playback devicesaccessible to the local network and/or addressable by the second displaymay be displayed using the display module 115, and the user may choose acontent playback device from among them. In addition to choosing contentplayback devices, a user may review a list of accessible serviceproviders using the display module 115. For example, such serviceproviders may include those offering video-on-demand services for moviesand other video content, audio content, or any number of other sites onwhich content may be browsed and selected. In one implementation, wherea content playback device has been chosen, the results may be filteredbased on the capability of the content playback device to render thecontent. In another implementation, the display module 115 may displaynot just content accessible to the local network, but also contentresident on the local network, such as content stored on a digital videorecorder or Blu-ray® player.

In some implementations, the display module 115 may be a module thatproduces an output signal for display by another device. In this case,the actual display may be external to the second display itself. Forexample, in the case of a Blu-ray® player being used as a seconddisplay, the display module 115 may be a unit that produces, e.g., anHDMI output signal, while the actual display may be performed by the TVthat is connected to that HDMI output.

The second display 70 also includes a module for network communications117 that allows the second display to communicate with the local networkas well as, in some cases, specific devices directly. In particular, aspart of the network communications module 117, a communications module123 for communications with a content playback device is provided. Thecontent playback device communications module 123 allows the seconddisplay to communicate with the content playback device either over thelocal network, via the internet, or directly. Such direct communicationsmay include various types of wired or wireless transmission schemes,including WiFi, USB, infrared, Bluetooth®, or the like.

Also within the network communications module 163 may be an optionalweb-browsing module 119 through which the above-noted content items maybe browsed in the case where the second display application is a webapplication. The web-browsing module 119 may be implemented in a numberof ways, including by executing application code written in HTML,Javascript, or the like. A web-browsing module implemented in such a wayallows the same to be implemented across many platforms, allowing anynumber of types of second displays to be employed. In some cases,special applications, e.g., helper applications, may be employed tocommunicate with particular proprietary or non-web-based technologies.Where the second display application is non-web-based, and is writtenin, e.g., native code, the web-browsing module 119 may be replaced withan analogous module allowing service and content selection and otherfunctionality as has been described, e.g., for selection of contentplayback devices from within the context of a native remote controllerapplication.

Also within the network communications module 117 may be a direct searchlaunch module 121. The direct search launch module 121 may be employedto perform any of the steps, or a portion of such steps, in FIGS. 3-5.

It is noted that the above modules may be implemented in hardware,non-transitory software, or a combination of the above. Typically, thesame will be implemented within the context of a laptop computer, atablet computer, a smart phone, or the like.

Referring to FIG. 9, a server 110 is illustrated in which may beimplemented certain methods according to the present principles. Theserver 110 includes a storage module 177 in which may be stored data andcomputer-executable instructions to implement the functionalitydescribed above. To some extent, content may be stored in the storagemodule 177. However, in general, content delivered to second displayswill be stored at, or at least accessible from, service providers andcontent servers.

The server 110 further includes a network communications module 179.Through the module 179, communications may be had with proxy servers,content providers, and second displays. For example, the networkcommunications module 179 may include a second display communicationsmodule 181 through which communications with second displays may beimplemented and conducted. The module 179 may further include a contentprovider communications module 183 for respective communications withcontent providers. The second display communications module 181 mayinclude an API module 185 allowing manipulation and communication ofvarious second display application parameters. For example, the APImodule 185 may be employed to add a given search term received from thesecond display to a launch script, to configure a second displayapplication to go directly to a set of search results on launch, and todirect a launch URL to the second display application.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart 80 illustrating a method which may be employedwithin the context of the principles described, and in particular toallow storage and reuse of searches. In flowchart 80, a first step isthat a user performs a search (step 125). In an alternativeimplementation, a user may have chosen a service or asset from a list(step 127). If a user commonly performs such a search, or commonly playsa particular asset, or commonly searches a particular service, the usermay choose to have the search for a given service or asset stored as adirect launch search (step 129). In this way, by activating a convenientbutton such as an icon, the user may cause the second displayapplication to initialize with the given search, asset, or service as asearch parameter. For example, a user may have an interest in a givenartist. By clicking a “SEARCH THIS ARTIST” button set up in a proceduresuch as step 129, a set of search results in the second displayapplication may be easily retrieved, e.g., the search results relatingto new content from the artist or related content. An identifier of thedirect launch search may be stored (step 131), e.g., as a cookie wherethe second display is a web application.

Referring to FIG. 11, an implementation of a second display 90 which mayoperate according to the principles described here is illustrated. Inthis implementation, the second display 90 includes various memorylocations bearing computer-readable instructions capable of performingvarious steps. First, the second display 90 includes a processor 145 andmemory 135 bearing computer-readable instructions capable of identifyingthe search term. For example, the identified search term may includemetadata, data in a search field, data on a browser page, and so on, ashas been described above. The second display 90 may further includememory 137 bearing computer-readable instructions capable of sending thesearch term, and associated action if necessary, to a server such as amanagement server.

The second display 90 further includes memory 139 bearingcomputer-readable instructions capable of loading and running the seconddisplay application employing a modified launch script. The seconddisplay 90 further includes memory 141 bearing computer-readableinstructions capable of running a search initiated by the modifiedlaunch script. Finally, the second display 90 may further include memory143 bearing computer-readable instructions capable of displaying theresults of the directly launched search.

Other memories will also be understood, including those withinstructions which create shortcuts for searches, those which includeinstructions for native remote controller applications, those whichreceive and display a list of services associated with the user account,those which filter a displayed service according to a category or thelike, and those which provide for user selection of the services andassets, among others.

Referring to FIG. 12, an implementation of a server 100 is illustrated,and as in the case of the second display 90, includes various memoriesbearing computer-readable instructions capable of performing varioussteps. The server may be, e.g., a proxy server, a management server, orany other sort of server as described above. The server 100 includes aprocessor 145 and memory 147 bearing computer-readable instructionscapable of receiving a search term, and associated action if necessary,from a second display. The server 100 may further include memory 149bearing computer-readable instructions capable of operating or runningan API to add the search term and the action to a launch script for asecond display. The server 100 may further include memory 151 bearingcomputer-readable instructions capable of sending a signal to configurethe second display application to go directly to a set of search resultsupon launch. The server 100 may further include memory 153 bearingcomputer-readable instructions capable of redirecting a launch URL tothe second display application.

The server 100 may further includes memory 155 bearing computer-readableinstructions capable of performing a search or receiving a set of searchresults. In other words, the server 100 may perform the search itself ora different server may perform the search and deliver the results to theserver 100, in either case for subsequent redelivery to a seconddisplay. The server 100 may further include memory 157 bearingcomputer-readable instructions capable of returning the search resultsto the second display. Other memories will also be understood, althoughthese are not specifically shown in FIG. 12.

Systems and methods have been disclosed that allow improvement of theuser experience of the IPTV without adding to the hardware costs of theunit. As disclosed above, users may employ the system and method todirectly launch a second display application with a requested searchterm. Using the described systems and methods, the user need not performan initial step of initializing the second display application andmanually entering a search term.

One implementation includes one or more programmable processors andcorresponding computing system components to store and execute computerinstructions, such as to execute the code that provides the seconddisplay or various server functionality, e.g., that of the proxy server22, management server 18, and content server 24. Referring to FIG. 13, arepresentation of an exemplary computing environment 200 for a seconddisplay or for any of the servers is illustrated.

The computing environment includes a controller 159, a memory 174,storage 172, a media device 163, a user interface 164, an input/output(I/O) interface 166, and a network interface 168. The components areinterconnected by a common bus 180. Alternatively, different connectionconfigurations can be used, such as a star pattern with the controllerat the center.

The controller 159 includes a programmable processor and controls theoperation of the second display and servers and their components. Thecontroller 159 loads instructions from the memory 174 or an embeddedcontroller memory (not shown) and executes these instructions to controlthe system. In its execution, the controller 159 may provide the seconddisplay control of a content playback device system as, in part, asoftware system. Alternatively, this service can be implemented asseparate modular components in the controller 159 or the second display.

Memory 174, which may include non-transitory computer-readable memory175, stores data temporarily for use by the other components of thesecond display 14 i, and the same may include memories 135-143 and147-157, as discussed above. In one implementation, memory 174 isimplemented as RAM. In other implementations, memory 174 also includeslong-term or permanent memory, such as flash memory and/or ROM.

Storage 172, which may include non-transitory computer-readable memory173, stores data temporarily or long-term for use by other components ofthe second display and servers, such as for storing data used by thesystem. In one implementation, storage 172 is a hard disc drive or asolid state drive.

The media device 163, which may include non-transitory computer-readablememory 161, receives removable media and reads and/or writes data to theremovable media. In one implementation, the media device 163 is anoptical disc drive or disc burner, e.g., a writable Blu-ray® disc drive162.

The user interface 164 includes components for accepting user input fromthe user of the second display, and presenting information to the user.In one implementation, the user interface 164 includes a keyboard, amouse, audio speakers, and a display. The controller 159 uses input fromthe user to adjust the operation of the second display 14 i.

The I/O interface 166 includes one or more I/O ports to connect tocorresponding I/O devices, such as external storage or supplementaldevices, e.g., a printer or a PDA. In one implementation, the ports ofthe I/O interface 166 include ports such as: USB ports, PCMCIA ports,serial ports, and/or parallel ports. In another implementation, the I/Ointerface 166 includes a wireless interface for wireless communicationwith external devices. These I/O interfaces may be employed to connectto one or more content playback devices.

The network interface 168 allows connections with the local network andoptionally with content playback device 12 and includes a wired and/orwireless network connection, such as an RJ-45 or Ethernet connection or“WiFi” interface (802.11). Numerous other types of network connectionswill be understood to be possible, including WiMax, 3G or 4G, 802.15protocols, 802.16 protocols, satellite, Bluetooth®, infrared, or thelike.

The second display and servers may include additional hardware andsoftware typical of such devices, e.g., power and operating systems,though these components are not specifically shown in the figure forsimplicity. In other implementations, different configurations of thedevices can be used, e.g., different bus or storage configurations or amulti-processor configuration.

Various illustrative implementations of the present invention have beendescribed. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatadditional implementations are also possible and within the scope of thepresent invention. For example, while media content services have beenfocused on, the user may also browse services for other types ofbusiness or consumer transactions, such as video rentals, home shoppingsites, or the like on the second display. Search results may be foundthat are assets resident within the local network, e.g., content storedon a DVR or Blu-ray® player. In this case, no user account associatedwith a management server may be necessary. In addition, the seconddisplay may also include and manage information about other relateddevices, such as a media player and a game console.

While the system and method have described implementations in whichcontent playback devices have been selected by a user before browsing,numerous other variations are possible. For example, a cache or cookieor other information may be employed to store information about contentplayback devices, so that no user choice is necessary. In anothervariation, a profile system may be employed that communicates contentplayback device information upon start-up according to a profile; e.g.,a given content playback device may always be associated with and mayauthenticate itself with a given service provider. In this sense, acontent playback device is still being chosen, but the choice does notrequire an affirmative step by the user. Use of any of thesealternatives, or others, ensures that the content consumption of eachcontent playback device is tracked. It further allows, as described, theproxy server to filter out content that the content playback device isincapable of playing. It is also noted that certain types of browsingmay require no device choice at all, e.g., browsing shopping sites. Evenin these implementations, some level of customization may occur, e.g.,by consideration of the origination location as detected by the visitingsecond display's IP address.

In addition, the above description was primarily directed toimplementations in which the local IP address of the second display wasretrieved and stored on the server. However, other ways of discoveringthe second display are also possible. For example, device discovery isalso possible using a broadcast method within the local network.Compatible devices that recognize the broadcast message will respondwith their necessary credentials and information to indicate theircompliance with the application for the second display. In many cases,broadcasting methods are primarily directed to native applications, notweb applications; however, a broadcasting library may be employed toallow the implementation even within a web application.

While the above description has focused on implementations where asecond display is coupled to a content playback device through a localnetwork or over the internet, it will be understood that the same willapply to any method by which the two may communicate, including 3G, 4G,and other such schemes.

Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to only thoseimplementations described above.

1. A method of causing a second display application to launch and searchon a search item, comprising: i. receiving a search item; ii. uponreception of the search item, instantiating a second display applicationand causing the second display application to search on the search item;and iii. displaying the results of the search.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the receiving a search item includes receiving a search term ina search field.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the search field isdisposed in a browser on the second display.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the search item is selected from the group consisting of:metadata from a content item, a keyword, a search term, a category, animage file, or an audio file.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thecausing the second display application to search on the search itemincludes sending an identifier corresponding to the search item to aserver along with an identifier associated with an action correspondingto the search item.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the actioncorresponding to the search item is to find assets or services relatedto the search item.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the assets orservices are related to the search item by metadata.
 8. The method ofclaim 4, wherein the search item includes metadata from a content item,and wherein the receiving a search item includes receiving metadata froma Blu-ray® disk or from a streamed video program.
 9. The method of claim1, further comprising displaying a prompt for a user to create ashortcut associated with the search to be directly launched, and uponuser input, creating the shortcut.
 10. The method of claim 1, whereinthe second display application is a native remote controllerapplication.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second display is atablet computer, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a desktop computer,an internet appliance, or a computing device with internet access. 12.The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the results of the searchincludes only displaying services for which the second display or anassociated content playback device are affiliated.
 13. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the displaying the results of the search includedisplaying services for which the second display or an associatedcontent playback device are unaffiliated, and further comprisingdisplaying a screen or a link whereby the content playback device or thesecond display may become affiliated with the service.
 14. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising instructions forcausing a computing device to implement the method of claim
 1. 15. Amethod of causing a second display application to launch and search on asearch item, comprising: i. receiving a search item; ii. upon receptionof the search item, adding the search item to a launch script; iii.sending a signal to configure a second display application toinstantiate a search results page upon launch; iv. redirecting a launchURL/URI to the second display application; and v. returning searchresults to the second display for display.
 16. The method of claim 15,wherein the receiving a search item includes receiving a search termentered in a browser.
 17. The method of claim 15, further comprisingperforming a search on services or assets similar to the search item.18. The method of claim 17, wherein a similarity is in metadata.
 19. Themethod of claim 15, wherein if a found service is unaffiliated with auser account or content playback device associated with the seconddisplay, causing the display of a link or page wherein a user account orcontent playback device associated with the second display may becomeaffiliated with the service.
 20. A non-transitory computer-readablemedium, comprising instructions for causing a computing device toimplement the method of claim 15.